Overlooking historic Rittenhouse Square, in the center of Philadelphia, is a stately former hotel that opened in October 1929. (Couldn’t have picked a worse time to open, could it?) The Barclay, then the most famous hotel in the city, made it through the Depression, only to falter into bankruptcy in 1992. In 1994, the hotel was sold and went condo. Extremely spacious at 4,000 square feet, one of the elegant and ornate building’s 150 condos has come for sale through Laurie Phillips at BHS Fox & Roach Realtors, asking $2.975 million. Monthly fees run about $3,000.
Back in the late 17th century, William Penn, founder of the Province of Pennsylvania (the state was actually named after his father), wanted to create a “green country town,” with five public squares, one in each corner and one in the center, all of which remain today. The central one was named Rittenhouse Square, after astronomer/clockmaker David Rittenhouse, and today Rittenhouse Square is the name of both the public park and the very sought-after surrounding neighborhood.
Given the three-bedroom, three-and-one-half-bath Rittenhouse Square condo on offer is in a nearly 100-year-old building modeled on The Ritz in Paris and built by J.E.R. Carpenter, also responsible for erecting some of the finest apartment houses along New York’s Fifth Avenue, it is surprisingly modern and versatile in design. New-York-based architects Christoff:Finio are responsible for the ultra-modern design and made the space easily reconfigurable for public or private use via pocket doors and a sliding wall of frosted glass that hides or reveals additional space depending where it’s anchored.
The kitchen is cutting-edge modern, just as simple and straightforward as the rest of the flat, with plain stainless cabinets, trimmed in walnut, and sleek top-end appliances. The master bedroom suite includes plenty of built-in storage and closet space, along with a luxurious marble bath. The apartment also features 10’ ceilings and wide-plank walnut floors, as well as attractive treetop views of Rittenhouse Square.
Building amenities include full-time door staff, a gym, and, a somewhat rare perk, the use of a chauffeur driven Mercedes.
And, just by the way, the Barclay Hotel rocketed to prominence in 1980, after the FBI used the hotel in the Abscam sting operation. This resulted in led to the conviction of a U.S. senator, six Congressmen, three Philadelphia City Council members, and the mayor of Camden, N.J., for taking bribes from undercover agents. This operation was central to the plot of the movie “American Hustle.” We trust visitors won’t see any extremely fake looking Arab sheikhs offering bribes in the Barclay today.